Google releases smart watch for kids • Hacker News Board

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#711

Post by bryanrasmussen » Thu, May 30, 2024, 3:49 PM UTC

roydivision wrote: post #505

bryanrasmussen wrote: post #456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>As I recall, a big part of growing up was spending time and doing things my parents didn’t want me to do. a big part of parenting is making sure your kid actually is at school, or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things.

Or - A big part of parenting is building trust with your child to do what is expected of them, and dealing with it when they stray.

>dealing with it when they stray.

I know we're not supposed to assume reading comprehension problems here, so I just have to assume that your dealing with it when they stray does not have any component of monitoring in it? Because I said "or monitoring more closely a child that has done improper things." and everyone seems to think that you shouldn't monitor someone that has done improper things - I really don't get it?

Seems like apathy, oh your kid is sneaking out with other kids to drink, well give them a talking to and then whatever you do, don't monitor them!

Oh your kid got a sugar daddy on Roblox, hmm, well go talk to the neighbors next door, the 1980s neighbor network was the best way to ever keep track of your kids for every kid that didn't grow up in the 1980s.

Half of the commentators here seem to think I'm living in the 80s, and the other half seem to think I'm living in Kansas, but everyone is in agreement on one thing which is that I should definitely behave myself to their model of raising kids in 1980s Kansas.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#712

Post by npteljes » Thu, May 30, 2024, 3:51 PM UTC

sillysaurusx wrote: post #107

philomath_mn wrote: post #45

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agree, won't be easy -- he already has many peers with phones. But we have a lot of rules like that (e.g. no unsupervised YouTube use, wear helmets on the bike, etc) and he lives an otherwise well-provisioned life -- I think we'll work something out.

I’m amazed no one is pushing back on this. I respect your decision as a parent — it’s your decision — but not letting them have a phone until 16 or privacy in their YouTube sounds miserable for them. I would be, but everyone is different I suppose. In contrast, I was watching gore videos by the time I was 13. I think I turned out ok. We’ll see if it’s survivorship bias, but personally, I plan to give our daughter Kes…

You could bet I'd have a secret phone, and somehow knowledge on every wifi password in the neighborhood.

The effects of things like gore at 13 are not well understood, I think, but content like this is prevalent, so I see the point in either restricting or allowing it. The definition of "fine" also varies, what's fine for some, is certainly not fine for the other. Also, simply surviving, or turning out to be a degree of fine might not be something that parents want for their children. For example, people overcome trauma all the time, and doing so is great achievement and a source of life satisfaction, but we generally don't cause trauma to achieve this outcome, in fact, most of the time we actively prevent it.

At the end of the day, I think it's mostly just risk, and dealing with it is risk management. It's not that there are any clear paths, many excellent people and outstanding contributions come from unlikely circumstances, and many times even the safest bet fails.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#713

Post by steve_adams_86 » Thu, May 30, 2024, 3:58 PM UTC

ghaff wrote: post #691

steve_adams_86 wrote: post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My watch changed my relationship with my phone very positively, so I offered to get my kids watches as a phone alternative. Not that they couldn't have phones at all, but they'd leave them at home when going on, and not carry them in their pockets around the house. They declined because they think watches are lame and nerdy. Only the most unfortunate kids get watches. They still can't carry them around the house, but…

Funnily enough a lot of people trotted out the "only old people wear watches" argument when the Apple Watch came out as a reason why it was going to be a failure. That said, I canceled my cellular plan on my original one and really mostly use it as a GPS device when hiking. It's easier just to use a watch that doesn't need charging day to day.

Yes, charging is a legitimate pain in the ass. At first I didn’t mind, now I find it annoying. Maybe because I took a long hiatus from work and I’m rarely at a desk; that’s where I used to charge it.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#714

Post by retrac » Thu, May 30, 2024, 3:59 PM UTC

boringg wrote: post #689

wmf wrote: post #3

Smartwatches may be an overlooked answer to the kid phone conundrum. Watches have the communication and location tracking that parents demand without the distraction of phones.

I'll add that while that may be true. I find that it doesn't matter what kind of screen it is - my kids are like moths to flame. Its the backlit lighting + some kind of interactivity that makes it attractive to play with.

The original Game Boy and Tamigotchi weren't colour, or backlit, and they were disruptive in classrooms when they came out. For at least some individuals, even simple black and white, non-networked games, are kind of compulsive. This is probably particularly true for younger children without guidance.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#715

Post by philomath_mn » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:01 PM UTC

masterj wrote: post #694

philomath_mn wrote: post #670

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I had unrestricted (dial up) internet access from a very young age and I _do not_ think it was good for me. I don't think having that access in my pocket at all times would have helped either (I didn't get smartphone until I was out of college in 2013). Despite all the rules I've outlined in this thread, I really do believe in giving my kids as much freedom and autonomy as possible. I do not want to manage their time…

I don’t mind the content they watch on kids YouTube (mostly, streamers can be awful), but the exposure to the algorithm turns them into tiny zombies and led to behavior problems. Even adult brains have trouble navigating the dopamine hits of recommendation algorithms optimized to keep you engaged. We’ve stuck to a middle ground where they are limited to a certain amount of YouTube per day (but have no time limits for…

Totally agree. To your point, I personally have disabled watch history on YouTube so there is no recommendations feed at all. I just search for the videos I want or scroll through the new videos from my subscriptions.

It is these kinds of tactics that I want my kids to develop.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#716

Post by steve_adams_86 » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:03 PM UTC

blitzar wrote: post #692

bilsbie wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

How did your relationship To your phone change?

In public I very rarely have my phone out of my pocket or bag. 75% of the notifications that would make me look at my phone, I get on my watch. I also never miss a notification when my phone is not in my hand/pocket and as such have reduced the notifications significantly. I no longer get Phantom vibration syndrome https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_vibration_syndrome . I also can tell the time without taking out…

Ha, now that you mention it, my phantom vibrations are gone as well.

Like you I ended up culling a lot of notifications. I also added focuses which only allow certain people to call or apps to notify me throughout different parts of the day. It’s really nice to pare this stuff down on top of obviating the phone’s ability to deepen distraction if you happen to be notified.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#717

Post by barbazoo » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:06 PM UTC

77ko wrote: post #213

My kids main demand is the following features, and this watch doesn't deliver on any of them: 1. Whitelist contacts for calling and text call - installing an app is a pain for older ppl / friends. 2. Music: Why not Google? This already has headphone support and the Pixel watch hardware which support musics. 3. Maps: in case they need to go A to B. WearOS has google maps, so this should be an easy add. School bus is o…

> 4. Battery: 16hrs at launch is not going to age well...

Sounds like a nightmare having to also manage your kids' watches and keep them charged just for them to barely make it through the day.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#718

Post by steve_adams_86 » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:08 PM UTC

tuumi wrote: post #648

cklemming wrote: post #506

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not the poster, but since getting a smartwatch with a cellular plan, I've found myself more often leaving my phone when out and about - especially with my kids. I'm still be able to make calls, text, listen to pods and music, pay for stuff, navigation etc. but without any of the distractions. The only essential thing I'm missing is a camera!

Are you able to connect to Carplay?

I believe you still need your iPhone for that to work. That might have changed recently, but I don’t think so.

Apple watches work fine over Bluetooth, though that leaves a lot to be desired if you’re accustomed to CarPlay.

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#719

Post by [deleted] » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:08 PM UTC

philomath_mn wrote: post #15

wmf wrote: post #3

Smartwatches may be an overlooked answer to the kid phone conundrum. Watches have the communication and location tracking that parents demand without the distraction of phones.

100%. My kid is not getting a smartphone until he's ~16 but we're looking at a restricted smart watch right now (a flip phone would also be acceptable but a watch is physically attached which is ideal for 7 year old).

[deleted]

Re: Google releases smart watch for kids

#720

Post by barbazoo » Thu, May 30, 2024, 4:13 PM UTC

taeric wrote: post #69

I feel somewhat in a twilight zone. I'm not a fan of this device, but I also don't understand the over the top paranoia around it. Why do we invent such absurdly terrifying discourse around kids? If you don't want this for your kids, just don't get it. If you are worried about folks knowing where your kids are and what they are up to, I have bad news for you about neighborhood gossip.

> If you are worried about folks knowing where your kids are and what they are up to, I have bad news for you about neighborhood gossip.

Obvious strawman comparing Google knowing vital stats and location about your child at any time with neigbors knowing and talking to each other about a kid.